Friday, February 25, 2011

Wow, is there nothing that Mark Zuckerberg doesn't know about me? When I lived in Los Angeles in the early '90s, one of my favorite places to eat was El Pollo Loco. I was dirt poor, so a fast-food restaurant that served grilled chicken and relatively healthy side dishes -- that actually tasted good -- was all I needed. (These days I'm less poor, but still make a point of eating there whenever I'm on the West Coast visiting my old stomping grounds.)

Pull up to the drive-thru Laugh-In window

My favorite El Pollo Loco was the one on Sunset and La Brea -- not because the food was any better than the one closer to my house in West Hollywood, but because it was the one that had an autographed photograph of Ruth Buzzi hanging over the cash registers. ( I LOVE Ruth Buzzi!) While this may sound like a completely typical thing in a business establishment in Hollywood, what made it so extraordinary is that it was the ONLY autographed celebrity photo hanging in the joint.

Never figured out why or how it got there -- if it had been a pic of hairnet-loving Gladys Ormphby, it might have made sense from a Department of Health point of view -- but not unlike the corn on the cob and salsa bar, it never failed to make me smile.

UPDATE: Check out the comments -- Ruth just wrote in and explains the mystery of El Photo Loco!

3 comments:

Ruth_Buzzi
said...

They had my picture there because my husband and I loved to eat there! We were always watching our carbs; great place for chicken and cole slaw! And it was walking distance from our Hollywood Hills pad before we moved to the ranch in Texas. And now you know....the REST of the story! Love and hugs always, Ruthie

I love Ruth Buzzi. Just last month I was talking about her funny Chlorox commercials and my sister and I still remember her cartoon. Maybe someday soon we might get to see what Gladys is up to, until then TG for Youtube.